Three children died when the boat they were on capsized during a “sudden and severe” storm that powered through Lake Geneva over the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
The tragic boating accident happened on the waters of Geneva Lake during peak summer tourism.
Authorities said a storm suddenly moved across the area during the afternoon hours Friday, “rapidly producing hazardous boating conditions.”
At that time, a recreational motorboat with 10 people onboard, including six adults and four children, was attempting to navigate to safety, but became “overwhelmed by severe wind and waves, took on water, capsized and subsequently sank.”
Rescuers were able to save all of the adults and one child, but were told three children remained missing. Crews were seen searching for the three children near Big Foot Beach after the boat capsized.
After an intensive search, officials said the missing children were found and recovered from the lake.
“Lifesaving measures were administered immediately at the scene and continued by emergency medical personnel during transit to local medical facilities. Despite these exhaustive efforts, all three children were later pronounced deceased,” the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency said in a release.
All four children on the boat were wearing life jackets at the time of the “heartbreaking tragedy,” officials said.
The circumstances surrounding the capsizing are still under active investigation, authorities said, and the identities of those involved were not yet released “pending formal family notifications.”
Neighbors told a reporter with WTMJ Milwaukee that the weather changed rapidly and strong winds began whipping across the lake while many families were out celebrating the start of the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
“This incident serves as a reminder of how quickly severe weather can develop on area waterways. We strongly urge all boaters to closely monitor weather forecasts, remain vigilant of changing atmospheric conditions, and seek safe harbor immediately when threatening weather approaches,” the release stated.
The storm hit on the first day of the Fourth of July weekend, a time where the population in Walworth County is double its normal count due to the tourism in the area, Tom Hausner, undersheriff for the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office, said.
The storms also damaged homes in the area, downed power lines and scattered trees and limbs across “almost every road within the subdivision,” said Hausner.
“Our resources, not just the sheriff’s office, but all law enforcement resources and fire and EMS are stressed. And this compounded that to levels unprecedented, in my opinion,” Hausner said.
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